In the coming weeks, the transaction for the transfer of part of Shipyards Scaramanga who controls Public Real Estate Company (ETAD) and thus place the entire complex under the control of the scheme of interests of the shipowner Giorgos Prokopiou. Yesterday the official announcement of the acquisition of another part of the shipyards by the company Special Administration, with the transaction, the financial closing of which was completed on March 1. The investor won the tenders of ETAD and the Special Shipyards Authority in July 2021 with a price of 37.3 million euros in the first and another 25.2 million in the second for the second half of the shipyards. In this way, the shipyards can become liable because, in the context of the special administration, the workers were laid off and compensated, and it is expected that they will receive part of their remaining claims from the special administration.

At a ceremony held yesterday at the Ministry of Finance, Giorgos Prokopiou noted that the first efforts of the new owner will be directed towards the gradual modernization of the facilities of the Scaramangas shipyards, the strengthening of fire safety and fire extinguishing systems, as well as the re-operation of a large tank that has remained inactive for about 20 years. He even mentioned that the first shipyards under new management could be ships of the shipping company he was interested in, as he could outsource some of the work without worrying about the possibility of delays that could cause problems for another customer. He also announced a natural gas power plant, as well as carbon capture and green methanol production. “This is how we really create a zero emission plant,” he noted. Wanting to reassure the local population, as the municipality of Haidari filed relevant complaints, the investor put an end to the scenarios that led him to intend to build a liquefied natural gas gasification unit (FSRU). “We will build a pipe, don’t worry, Mr. Mayor,” Mr. Prokopiu noted, and then added that “it makes no sense to build FSRU when Revitusa is next to you.”

Going forward, the new shipyard owner has set a goal of working on cutting-edge technology, adding, but without going into detail, that he wants to build state-of-the-art ships there, powered by electricity or even without a crew. “I’m not interested in gluing sheets and we can’t compete with the big shipyards in Asia,” he said. Minister of Finance Christos Staikouras, in turn, described G. Prokopiou as the “god of machines” for shipyards and spoke about the actions of the government in recent years, saying that he managed to solve the significant problems of shipbuilding and the country’s defense industry. “In this particular sector, Greece has shown significant success in the past and the Scaramanga shipyards are the core of the sector. The development of shipbuilding and the defense industry should become a key task for all stakeholders. We want and strive for the industry to revive,” said Mr. Staikouras. According to market sources, Skaramanga Shipyards is one of the plans of their new owner to receive and carry out work for the Navy from Skaramanga Shipyards.